Hood construction



June 6, 1933. w. J. HALL HOOD CONSTRUCTION Filed April 1. 1932 INVENTOR M'Zlzam J." Hall.

Patented June 6, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM J. HALL, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 0F

THIRTY PER CENT TO OLLIE L. HERRON,

THIRTY PER CENT TO JOSEPH B. ZIMMERS,

THIRTY-THREE PER CENT T0 WILLIAM J. HALL AND SEVEN PER. CENT TO B. C.

SCHEMMEL HOOD CONSTRUCTION Application filed April 1,

This invention relates to hood constructions, and it has particular relation to hinge constructions for the hood, and the manner of hinging parts of the hood together and to a vehicle body.

In certain respects the invention is related to that disclosed in my prior application fpr patent on hood construction Serial No. 588,566, filed January 25, 1932, and my application for patent also relating to hood construction, Serial No. 608,282, filed April 29, 1932.

One object of the present'invention is to provide a hood construction in which the wings of the hood are hinged together by coacting rolled edges and in which such rolled edges are hinged to the radiator and cowl of a vehicle without necessitating the use of a supporting pivot connecting these parts of the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hood construct-ion in which the wings of the hood have co-act ing rolled meeting edges for hinging them together, in which such rolled edges are hinged to the. radiator and cowl of the vehicle respectively, at oppoa site ends of the rolled edges, without requiring the us'eof a supporting pivot connecting the radiator and cowl. v

Another object of the invention is to provide a hood construction of the above mentioned type in which the rolled edge section generally simulates in appearance the ordinary hinge arrangement for hoods.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hood .construction of the abovementioned type in which water or the like is posi= tively prevented from gaining access into the motor space of the vehicle, through the hinged part of the hood wings.

-Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hinge construction for parts of a hood, that will be in effect. concealed, and the appearance of the vehicle thereby enhanced. i

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge construction for parts of a hood which. positively locks the parts either in their open or closed position, while at the same time maintaining a. water-tight seal 1932. Serial No. 602,516.

Between such parts to prevent the ingress of water into the motor space.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge construction for a hood which is formed by rolling edges of hood parts into coacting hinge elements. and in which the hinge has a smooth and elticient manner of operation throughout its opening and closing movement.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hinge construction for hoods in which the outwardly exposed tinished surfaces of the hood in the region of v the hinge, are not marred, scratched or otherwise injured during any opening or closing of the parts of the hood whereby the hood will always maintain its finished appearance, atleast to the extent of the surface which is visible.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the drawing relating thereto, and the' claims hereinafter set forth.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of the invention, in which:

' Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a vehicle havingahood constructed according to one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional and perspective view on a larger scale taken substantially along the line 22 of Figure 1 Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view on a. larger scale, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line H of Figure 3:

' Figure is across-sectional view of a hinge construction similar to that shown by Figure 2-but which is constructed according to a difi'erent form of the invention:

Figure 6 is a view similar to that shown vconnected according to one form of the invention Figure 8 is a view similar to that shown by Fig. 7 but illustrating a hinge construction of somewhat different character;

Figure 9 is a detail view in cross-section illustrating particularly the relation of parts of a preferred form of hinge arrangement which may be used in any of the figures previously described.

Referring to Figure 1, a motor vehicle is illustrated at 10, a radiator thereof at 11, and a cowl at 12. It will be readily appreciated that the ordinary manner of hinging a hood on the vehicle comprises the use of a supporting pivot connected to and extending between the cowl and radiator and on which the left and right wings of the hood are hinged. Ordinarily this element has consisted of a rod passing through complementary eye portions of .the hood Wings and which has its ends secured to parts of the radiator and cowl. The present invention, particularly, makes it unnecessary to use a rod or other connecting element between the radiator and cowl except for parts of the hood which extend between these elements, while at the same time permitting the use of a hinge comprising rolled edge portions of the wings.

In the form of the invention shown by Figure 2,-one of the wings is indicated at 13 and the other at 14 and in this construction the wings respectively are provided with inwardly turned flanges, 15 and 16, disposed in substantially parallel and spaced relation. Male and female hinge members 17 and 18 are connected to such flanges respectively, by any suitable means such as by spot weldin as indicated at 19. The male member 1 terminates upwardly in a rolled edge 21 while the female member 18 similarly terminates at its upper edge in a rolled edge 22 adapted to receive the male member. A preferred relation of parts of the arrangement described, is shown by Figure 9, although it should be appreciated that the invention should not be limited to the arrangement which is to be described. In this construction, for example. the upper edge of the male member 17 is curved as indicated at 23 with a radius of curvature of approximately 7 /64ths of an inch. This curved portion extends substantially to the line 24, and from this line to the line 25. the member extends substantially straight or rather perpendicular to the flanges 17 and 18. From the point 25 to the point 26, the member is curved as indicated at 27 about a center approximately located at the point 28 with a radius of curvature of approximately .242 inch. From the point 26 tothe point 29 the member is curved as indicated at 30 about a center ap proximately located at the point 31 and having a radius of curvature of approximately .164 inch. From the point 29 to the point 32, the male member is curved as indicated at 33 about a center indicated approximately at 34 with a radius of curvature of approxlmately .125 inch. From the point 32 to its free edge, the latter is curved as indicated at 36 approximately about a center indicated at 37 with a radius of curvature of approximately .062 inch.

It will be'noted that the different curved surfaces resemble a spiral and that the free edge of the male member is located fairly close to the inner surface of the curved portion 33. On the female member it will be noted that the upper edge of the flange part 18 is bent in a manner substantially corresponding to the curved portion 23 of the male member except in the opposite direction, so that the hinging parts of the male and female members will be located between the adjacent parts of the main body portions of the hood wings, while leaving a space between the female member and the adjacent parts of such wings. The female member from a point approximately 40 to the line 41 is curved with a center of curvature coincidin substantially with the center 31 andhence this part of the female member, when the hinge is in its closed position substantially is complementary to the curved part 30 of the male member. From the point 41 to the point 43 the female member is curved approximately about the center 34 and from the point 43 to its free edge, the member is curved substantially about the center 37 so that when the hinge is in its .closed position the curved parts .of the female and male members are substantially complementary.

With respect to operating characteristics and the appearance of this hinge, several things may be said. In the first place, as will be particularly evident from Figures 2 and 9, when the hinge is viewed from the outer surface of the hood, the fact that two parts are provided, is not apparent as the curved portion 23, the straight portion between the points 24 and 25 and the curved portion 27 of the male member seem to merge into the female member. The spaces at both sides of the hinge indicated at 45 and 46, add considerably to the appearance of the construction and in fact causes it to simulate the ordinary hinge for hoods, while at the same time it will be readily realized that a water-tight construction is apparent as any water, to pass through the hinge into the motor space, must pass between the complementary surfaces of the curved male and female members and this would be quite impossible as itwould have to travel in a curved and generally spiral path and in an upward direction. IVhen the hood wing 13 is raised. for example, as shown in broken lines in Figure 2, hinging action of the male member seems to occur about approximately the point 47, or in other words the free edge of the male member seems to hinge on the extremity of the female member approximately at this point. As soon as this hinging action begins, the entire outer surface of the male member that has been substantially in contact with the female member seems to leave this surface and to remain separated therefrom. throughout the entire hinging action. As the hinging action pro gresses, the curved portion 30 of the male member approaches that curved part of the female member between the point 43 and its free edge, and finally the curved portion 36 of the male member hooks over the free edge of the female member and locks the wing in its raised position and in which position the wing will be overbalanced and tend to remain in its raised position. Then the wing is in a closed position, it is manifest that further closing action cannot occur because of the engagement of the male and female members surfaces as shown in Fig. 9. If the wing 14 is raised it is manifest'thatthe same action will occur except that in this case the female member, instead of the male member, is moved.

In connection with Figure 2, it may be noted that the innermost part of the exposed male member surface, when viewed through the space 45, approximately is located at the point -18 and the innermost visible part of the female member is located at 49. Now when the hood wing is raised, these points sub stantially coincide without engagement of any exposed surfaces. From this it will follow that during operation of the hinge, any exposed surface will not engage each other to mar or otherwise deface any finished surface. Consequently; the hinge will constantly maintain its exposed finished appearance.

Now, for the purpose of hinging the hood to the radiator and cowl of the vehicle, a part ofthe male member is removed by cutting it away to the point indicated at in Figure 4, and at bothends of the member to approximately the point indicated in Figure 3 at 51. It will be noted that the part removed still will maintain the hinge water-tight, because the remaining part of the male member curves inwardly and upwardly to the point 50. Moreover in openingthe hood wing having the male member, this line of cutting will not become visible, nor is it visible when the'hood wingis in closed position. For connecting the hinge to the radiator and cowl, trunnions .52 are journaled in cylindrical bearings 53 secured to these parts, preferably in concealedpositions, as shown in Figure 3. One or both of these hearings may be readily re movable or the trunnions may be removed axially away from the ends of the hinge to permit removal of the hood without difficulty.

That part of each trunnion 5 2 pivotally .mounted in a bearing 53 preferably. is cylindrical so that it may freely turn in the hearing but the part of the trunnion project- 'ing into the hinge of the hood, is shaped as ception that the male and female members are rolled directly in the meeting edges of the hood wings 13 and 1-1 As viewed from the exterior of the hood, the appearance of the two different constructions is very similar and it is apparent that in either construction the same similar advantages already described will accrue. I

In the construction shown by Fig. 6, a slightly different arrangement is provided in which the female member is manufactured separately of the hood wing 14 and is provided with an upwardly opening channel 55 into which an inwardly directed flange 56 of the hood wing projects. Such projecting part of the hood wing may be welded to one side of the channel as indicated at 57 to provide a unitary and water-tight assembly. Manufacturing the hood wing and hinge member separately in this manner, or as described with respect to Figure 2, it may facilitate metal rolling operations.

In the construction shown by Fig. 7 an arrangement is provided for hinging parts 58 and 59 of either of the hood wings so that a hinge will be provided for example, half way down the side of either wing. This hinge is substantially the same as that previously described and operates, of course, in substantially the same manner.

That construction shown in Figure 8 is similar to that shown in Figure 7 with the ex.- ception that the upper part 58 of the wing is reversely bent upwardly as indicated at 60 before the curved part of the hingebegins to form, and the upper part of the part 59 extends upwardly in a complementary manner thereto. This arrangement would positively prevent any water from entering between the hinge elements, although in either construction water would be prevented from entering the motor space in thevehicle. The construction shown by Figure 8 is also desirable in that the reversely bent portion as indicated, practically hides the hinge, and all that is visible is a line substantially in the plane of the wing which indicates a break in its surface. It will be understood that the part 59 in both constructions may hinge in a direction indicated by the arrow 61 when the hood wing is raised so that it fits in and under the upper part 58 when the hood is in itsopen position.

From the above description it will be ap- -preciated that a highly efiicient hood construction has been provided particularly involving an improved hinge and manner of hinging it on the vehicle, and particularly the radiator and cowl portions of the latter. Moreover, it will be evident that the hood and hinge therefor provided, make it possible to eliminate the ordinary so-called piano wire hinge or supporting pivot extending between the radiator and cowl and hood wings having eye portions for'receiving this pivot. Additionally, it is apparent that by hinging the hood wings in the manner described, and the ends thereof on short trunnions journaled in parts of the cowl and radiator, separate hinge and supporting members, that ordinarily extend between the radiator and cowl, may be eliminated. It is additionally evident that the hood and hinge provided simulate the ordinary hinge type of construction, that the hinge is watertight, that it will operate smoothly, lock the wings in closed or open position, and that the hinge will so function that visible and exposed finished surfaces of the hood will not be marred or otherwise defaced during hinging movement of either or both wings. It is likewise apparent that an improved manner of hinging parts of each,

hood together as along the side thereof, has been provided which will permit a smooth and efficient pivotal movement of such parts of the wing, while at the same time practically concealing the hinge and rendering it watertight. Also it is evident that in moving either wing to open position, any tendency of the wing to move past its normally open position, as a result of force used in opening the wing or momentum of the wing, tends to resiliently unwind the rolled or generally spiral hinge parts through their interengaging edges. In general it should be appreciated that a new and improved hood construction has been provided having a novel, inexpensive and highly efiicient form of hinge.

Although more than one form of the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a support, sheet elements having interengaging rolled ed e portions generally spiral in character. and nested one in the other when the sheet elements are in one position, one of the edge portions beipg cut away at its end, and a pintle projecting into complementary relation with the other edge portion at the cut away part and having bearing on the support.

2. In combination, a support, sheet elements having interengaging 'rolled edges, nested when the elements are in one position,

an end part of one of said rolled edge portions being cut away and a pintle pro]ecting axially into complementary relation with the other rolled edge and having a groove receivingthe edge, said pintle having bearing on the support.

3. In combination, a support, sheet elements having intercngaging rolled edge portionspone nested within the'other when in one position, said rolled edge portion being generally spiral in character, one rolled edge portion being cut away at one end of the elements, and a pintle having bearing on the support and projecting into the other rolled edge portion, said pintle having a groove receiving the edge of the latter portion.

4. In combination, a support, sheet elements having interengaging rolled edge portions of generally spiral character, one nested within the other and substantially complementary thereto with the elements in one position, the inner rolled edge portion being cut away at the end of the edges, and a pintle projecting into the other edge portion and shaped to fit at least a portion of the spiral, and having bearing on the support.

5. In combination, a support, sheet elements having interengaging rolled edge portions of generally spiral character, one nested within the other and substantially complementary thereto with the elements in one position, the inner rolled edge portion being cut away at the end of the edges, and a pintle projecting into the other edge portion and being substantially complementary to a portion thereof so as to rotate with the element, said pintle having bearing 011 the support.

6. In combination, a pair of hood sections having generally spiral rolled edge portions nested one within the other in substantially complementary relation and directed similarly when the hood sections are in closed position, pivot means at the ends of the sections for pivoting them on a support, and means locking the'edges of the spirals together after either section has been moved to its normally open position, whereby any momentum or force urging the section to a still further open position tends to resiliently unwind the spirals.

7. In combination, a pair of hood sections having generally spiral rolled edge portions nested one within the other in substantially complementary relation and directed similarly when the hood sections are in closed position, pivot means at the ends of the sections for pivoting the hood and sections on a support, and means locking the edges of the spirals together after either section has been moved to its normally open position. whereby any momentum or force urging the section to a still further open position tends 7 to resiliently unwind the spirals, said means spiral when either section has been moved to its normally open position.

8. In combination, a pair of hood sections having generally spiral rolled edge portions nested one within the other in substantially complementary relation and directed similarly when the hood sections are in closed position. pivot means at the ends of the sections for pivoting them on asupport, and means locking the free edges of the rolled edge portions together after either section has been moved to its'normally open position.

9. In combination, a support. a pair of sheetmetal sections having turned edges, one

nested within the other for hingedlv connecting the sections, said edges having inner portions extending generally toward the axis of hinging movement and which separate in a circumferentiallv angular manner during relative hinging movement of the sections. and pivotmeans on the supportand engaging a linear end portion of the turned edge on one section for hingedly mounting the sections on the support, the turned edge on the other section having its linear end portion along the engagement of the pivot means with the first turned edge, substantially eliminated to permit such engagement- 0 of the pivot means with said first turned edge. the turned edge portions being interlocked for relative and normal hinging movement independently of the pivot means.

WILLIAM J. HALL. 

